


The coroner of his eye

by Aaren



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Bad Things happening to Gotham's citizens, Death Jokes, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Jason's sense of humour, Overprotectiveness, Ridiculous Idiots who don't realise the other cares about them, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-01 15:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14523951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaren/pseuds/Aaren
Summary: Jason had made a number of jokes about his death before. Sometimes, as a way to cope and sometimes, purely because he found them genuinely funny.They had never garnered quite that reaction before, though.Also, someone apparently wanted to murder him again so, you know, fun times.Or: five times Jason made a death joke and one time someone else did it for him.





	1. Just one look

The first time it happened, he was undercover as Damian's bodyguard at one of Bruce's frankly overly opulent parties. 

 

Oh, sure, he had made a number of death jokes before. Sometimes, as a way to cope; sometimes, purely because he found them genuinely funny. Sometimes even, because he knew it hurt Bruce and the small flinch was a reminder that his Da– Bruce had cared for him at one point or another. More than just as a soldier, or a warning, but as a family member too. 

It was particularly satisfying to throw his death in the Bat's face, back in the beginning. 

Nowadays, he did it because, frankly, he found the jokes hilarious. And what was the point of going through all that trauma if he couldn't even laugh in its face afterwards?

Plus, now that they had mostly -some diverging opinions were still being thoroughly "debated" on bad nights ( if one definition of debating involved stony silences, accusing glares and grunts as part of one party's argument ) -made up, Bruce didn't even react anymore. Some of his guilt complex over the matter had probably evaporated with Jason's return.

So it was probably not the first time it happened. But it was certainly the first time Jason noticed.

It started innocently enough. 

Jason was standing near an lotus painting that was worth an obscene amount of money, sipping at his champagne glass (a behaviour that would get any professional bodyguard fired, but apart from a curious murmur or two, the rich crowd didn't seem to mind if Bruce Wayne employed incompetent idiots ) and perhaps slightly taunting the Brat about his supposed inability to jump from the banister to the glittering crystal chandelier. All perfectly innocent things that anyone bored out of their mind at a fancy party would do. 

So, of course, Dick had to walk in and ruin everything.

He was quickly walking towards them, smile bright if a bit strained, a gorgeous redhead following him closely ( Babs returned his welcome nod with a warm smile of her own) and an obnoxious blonde hanging off his other arm. 

An obnoxious blonde calling him "Richie" and shrilling about going on dates and meeting Bruce.

Ha. 

Jason could already see the Batbrat tensing, teeth uncovered, looking for all the world like a puppy ready to defend his eldest brother's honour. A puppy with at least a dozen hidden knives. And training to use them with.

He put a hand in Damian's hair and messed it up, quirking a judgemental eyebrow at Dick.

Splutters of indignant rage began echoing in the background.

(Welp, if the brat was to be believed, Titus would get some _hand_ made food tonight.

Gross.

Never let it be said that Jason never did anything for this family. )

Dick smiled at him gratefully and walked towards Damian, shooting an apologetic "Hey, sorry, gotta go and calm the little bro before he makes a scene, you know how this goes " glance at his date. 

Said date huffed in annoyance over losing the attention of one of Gotham most prized bachelors - and wasn't that traumatising all on its own, both Bruce and Dick being considered catches - before her gaze zeroed-in on Jason with a speed and an accuracy that would have made the Flash turn green with envy

They say you can be hypnotized by the dangerous glint in some predators' gaze. The viper or the tiger are supposed to be good examples of this. Your body reads the danger but the fight or flight response doesn't always activate correctly and you're left staring in the face of your imminent death, fascinated by its hypnotizing beauty.

Jason had faced plenty of predators before and never felt such a strong urge to flee.

Granted, with all that happened to him, he never had the time for a significant other and apart from his bogus date with Artemis, he didn't have a lot of experience in the matter. 

He had also died too soon for all the sharks that were after Bruce's money to began circling. 

Still. That was one hell of a scary smile.

The girl stalked closer to him and Jason very bravely did not take a step backwards.

From behind the girl's shoulder, Dick gave him a sympathetic wince.

Asshole. 

"Had I known Bruce Wayne employed such _striking_ security staff, I'd have come to these parties sooner. " She purred. 

Jason stared blankly at her. Was that seriously a pun? Did he not even rate the good pick up lines ? 

Not deterred in the least by his lack of response, she continued. 

" My name's Amelia. " She extended a hand and looked at him, eyebrow raised. 

He shook her hand. 

"Jonas Pennyworth" 

She smiled wider. A few meters behind her, out of earshot, he could see Bruce staring at them, a small furrow between his brows and completely ignoring the group of rich snobs he was mingling with. 

“So, Jonas,” And honestly, when would Babs stop snickering ? “ Tell me about yourself ” 

Jason put on a bland smile. 

“Oh, there's not much to tell, really.”

“Come on, don't be like that.” She stepped a little closer to him “ You work security, that can't be boring” 

Jason snorted. Well, his everynight life certainly wasn't, but he couldn’t exactly tell her that.

“Boring’s not the word I'd use to qualify working in Gotham, no.”

She lit up at the prospect of a anecdote. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bruce making his way over to them. 

What now ?

“Oooh! Have you ever had to protect someone from one of the Rogues ?” 

Jason resisted the urge to laugh. Judging by the constipated expression Dick was making two meters over ( and real subtle eavesdropping there, Nightwing ), he was encountering the same problem. 

Jason smirked and downed the rest of his champagne.

“Maybe once or twice”

“Now, you’ve got to tell me! Which Rogue was it? Did you –”

Brucie Wayne arrived and wormed his way into the conversation with none of the awkwardness and assholeness Jason knew was Bruce's actual default setting.

“Hi! Bruce Wayne. I usually try to make a point of greeting every party guest –” _Liar_ “ especially ones as lovely as you” 

Okay, what the hell ? Bruce usually only did the flirt thing when he needed to uphold his cover. 

Amelia shook his hand, looking slightly dazed under the sheer amount of sparkles emanating from Bruce's smile. 

“Amelia Livilan. Lovely to meet you.”

“ I hope I'm not interrupting ?” 

Well no, but Jason was officially freaked out now. Bruce deviating from his usual protocols (that he hadn't turned into an emotionless robot while Jason was dead was yet to be proved) usually meant business. Serious business. 

Luckily, having been trained by the Bat meant being able to communicate discreetly and silently in any setting. 

He signed “ Danger?”. Barbara was the first to answer, shaking her head, an amused glint dancing in her eyes. 

Bruce signed “Nothing, stand down.” back at him. 

Not one to be outdone, Dick inserted himself in the conversation and signed “ Nosy” while smirking at his dad. 

Damian looked about as baffled as Jason felt so at least there was that.

Amelia giggled.

“ I was just talking to Jonas about his job. Has he worked for you long, mister Wayne ?” 

“ Oh a few years, I'd say ?” Bruce said, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray Alfred had miraculously appeared with. Because apparently even Alfred was curious enough to come see what was going on.

Thank god Tim was talking to WE investors and Cass was not in Gotham tonight or at the rate they were going he'd have the whole set staring at him right now.

“ Really ? I've never seen him around. And believe me I’d remember” 

She shot another flirty smile at Jason. Bruce's smile never dimmed but from where he was, slightly behind him ( and when had _that_ happened? ) Jason could see Bruce's back muscles tensing and his grip on the glass slightly tightening.

What even. 

Jason took it upon himself to defuse the situation. And really, when presented with an opportunity like that, how could he resist? 

“ I ended up working the graveyard shift for a few years, back when I first started.” Jason said “ Probably the reason our paths didn't cross.” 

Three things happened at once:

Damian let out a noise that could almost pass for a giggle, had Jason not been informed several times in the past year that “Al-Ghuls do not giggle, Todd, that's preposterous.”. 

Dick chocked on his sip of champagne.

And the glass in Bruce’s hand shattered spraying shards everywhere. His face looked ashen for less than a blink before the careless grin that was the norm for his public appearances came back. 

 

Jason was left gaping at Bruce's back while a flurry of activity erupted around the both of them. He could barely hear the other man's sheepish laugh mingling with the sound of concerned voices. 

What the hell had just happened? 

Later, when the mess was moped up and the guests gone, he asked Dick what the hell had been up with Bruce. 

His brother just sighed and shook his head, muttering about stubborn idiots.

Weird.


	2. Here I go again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Jason tries to (troll Tim ) help. It backfires. 
> 
> Bruce still sucks at communicating with his son.
> 
> Also, the plot kicks in!

It was a truth universally acknowledged that a criminal in possession of a child trafficking ring in Gotham must have been in want of a good gravesite. 

Or at least an excellent doctor. He had a promise to keep, after all. 

On a good day, you did _not_ fuck with the Red Hood. It was bad for your general health. 

On a bad day however ? Or when kids were involved ? 

Jason stood up from his crouch and wiped his knife on the shirt of the passed out mess on the floor. 

So this particular asshole wasn't the one leaving “clues” all over his territory. 

It had started with a number of kidnappings. Four blue-eyed black haired boys, age ranging from 10 to 15 years old. 

They all were found exactly three days after their disappearance. The cause of death varied from victim to victim. 

Severe cranial trauma. Smoke inhalation. Multiple extended third degree burns. 

Then two older teenagers disappeared. Green eyed, black haired, male, one was 19, the other 22. 

Both were found with their throats cut. 

Both were found wearing brown leather jackets. 

No need to be a genius detective to understand who the message was addressed to. 

And fuck, but if they wanted Red Hood's attention, they were going to get it.

Up until now, he had thankfully managed to keep the Bats' attention elsewhere ( not that complicated with both the Bat and Nightwing off-planet, Robin with the Titans and Tim submerged under WE work. Oracle had been a bit more difficult to distract, but the best lies often were shrouded in truths. And she had so much to do that if he said he was taking care of the kidnappings, she wouldn’t go looking for details of the case). The last thing he needed was the entire brood muddling up his investigation and constantly watching his every move. 

Those deaths were on him and he _would_ find the one responsible. 

The only problem being that every lead he had followed always turned out to be empty. 

Exhausted, Jason began making his way back to his apartment, taking time to carefully loose any potential tail ( though it probably wouldn’t do much good. Whoever did this clearly already knew his identity. Good. Let them come). 

There was an amazing feeling of freedom one got jumping from rooftop to rooftop. No matter how tired he was, the physical activity combined with the feeling of wind rushing past his face and the view of Gotham's dimly lit streets never failed to make him feel better. 

Gotham was a shithole. But it was his shithole, and its familiarity was comforting.

Jason landed soundlessly on the roof of his apartment building, dropping into a roll. He got up and drew his guns from their holsters while scanning the roof for potential enemies. 

There was someone in his apartment. 

His kitchen curtain was hanging slightly open. He always, _always_ shut them completely when he went on patrol. 

He went to his bathroom window and climbed down on the ledge, silently working the window open and dropping inside.

Ah, the joys of breaking into your own home. No need to worry about security camera or entryways, you already knew them all. He'd have to be a bit more careful about property damage than usual, though. 

Guns drawn, he made his way into the dark living room. 

To see Tim, sitting on his couch in complete darkness, frowning at something on his computer, a mug balanced precariously next to him. 

Jason sighed and holstered his guns again. 

“ _Oh hello Jason, would you mind if I came to your apartment later today ?_ ” He said in a bad imitation of Tim's voice “ Why not at all Tim, why would I mind any of you invading my privacy ? Come right on in !” 

Jason flicked the lights on. The kid probably hadn't even realized the room was dark, knowing him. Which indicated two things: he had broken in his apartment when there still was light outside, and he seriously needed to stop working so much. He was as bad as Bruce.

To his credit, Tim didn’t react much beyond looking up from his computer and blinking rapidly a few times.

“I left your curtain open. You knew I was there. ” He said, matter-of-factly.

“ Oh well, if you left my curtain open, I guess everything's just fine then. Not creepy at all.” 

Tim looked slightly sheepish. 

“Sorry ? ” 

Jason sighed again, and rubbed his temples. Someone needed to teach the kid about two little concepts called privacy and boundaries. Sadly, his parents never had taught him much of anything, and Bruce was perhaps not the most qualified man for the job. For once.

Understatement of the year.

He sat on the sofa facing the one Tim was in.

“What do you need, Tim ?” 

Laser-focused blue eyes suddenly bore into him.

“ Maybe I was just checking in ? We never talk about small things.” _Ah, fu–_ “ Like how you're doing. What you thought about the new superhero movie. Or why someone wants to kill you and you decided to keep it all to yourself. You know, minor details of your life.” 

The sheer amount of sarcasm Tim could convey while keeping his tone completely flat was actually quite impressive. 

“I wasn't aware I had to report every person that wants to kill me to you guys? So terribly sorry, I'll correct that oversight right away.” 

Tim drew a breath. Jason didn't give him a chance to continue, using his fingers to count. 

“ Well there's the Joker, _obviously_ , but then there's also Two-face, most of the drugs dealers and pimps of Gotham, and going by the look on your face just now, you.” 

“Don’t be an ass.” Tim rubbed at the crease between his eyebrows “ You know what I'm talking about.”

Jason smirked. If he could just rile Tim up enough, there was a possibility that the teenager would leave it alone.

“Sorry kid, I really don't” 

He was presented with a dubitative eyebrow raise. 

“Oh, really ?” Tim used his foot to push a cardboard box towards him “ Then I guess you don't know what this is either?”

Jason recognized the box. It was the one he had stashed the paper copy of the missing person-turned-murder case files in. That didn't mean he had to admit it to the kid, however. Just to be obnoxious, he put on a curious expression and went to open the box.

“ _What the fuck, Tim?!_ ”

Only to recoil suddenly when he saw the contents of the box. 

There was a crowbar in the box. A crowbar that had a little green post-it (decorated with a smiley face) stuck to it. 

Tim tilted his head curiously at him, then paled a little bit. 

“You didn't know.” 

Jason stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He walked a few steps to calm himself down.

Tim gaze grew determined. He stood up and started packing his laptop. 

“We’re getting you out of here.” 

Jason whirled towards him. 

“Why ? They know who I am. They're killing kids to get to me. I am not running. I am finding these bastards and putting a stop to this.” 

“Jay, they got into your apartment undetected. ” 

He opened his mouth to argue that it didn't matter. Tim cut him off before he could even start. 

“And you don't have any leads or this would have been over way sooner. We are getting you out of here. ”

“Fine”

The kid lit up in triumph. Jason continued.

“But we are not telling any of the others about this. And I am not going to the Manor.” 

Tim narrowed his eyes and took out his phone.

********

Wayne Manor's front door opened, spilling a rectangle of light on the grounds. 

“Hiya, Alfie” Jason said sheepishly. 

“Master Jason.” Alfred greeted coldly. Jason gulped. “ How lovely to see you. ”

Tim smiled as he passed by Jason and entered the Manor. 

“Hi, Alfred” chirped the Traitorous Little Shit. 

“Master Timothy” Alfred greeted warmly. 

Jason cringed. Yeah, definitely pissed. 

The butler turned his attention back to him. 

“I do hope you'll forgive the lack of welcoming committee, young sir. Your father and brothers shall be arriving later today. ”

What ? No. Nope. Nu-huh. He was not dealing with that. 

“ That's really not necessary.” 

Alfred shot him a stern look. 

“ Of course, they would have been here sooner, had we been in any way informed that you were in danger. Though I suppose it was quite optimistic of me to believe any member of this family would act in a reasonable manner.” 

Jason winced again. 

In the hallway behind Alfred, Tim looked like he wanted to snicker. 

Snitch. 

Jason walked into the Manor, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. 

It was not the first time he came back to the Manor since his death, not by a long shot. It was however the first time he was staying -probably- more than one night. 

And sure, Bruce had _said_ that he wanted Jason to come back. 

But there was a world of difference between wanting an imagined glorified version of a little obedient soldier back and being confronted to the reality. 

And Jason knew too well just how much of a bitch reality could be sometimes.

Bruce had proved again and again that he didn't want Jason. And frankly, despite their temporary truce, there was still plenty of bad blood between the two of them. He did not want to be in the Manor. He had a place of his own ( compromised, but still ) and his own support system. He did not need the Bats to come and rescue him. 

But the thought of belonging somewhere was... Tempting.

Jason let himself be ushered upstairs by Alfred. 

********

The following morning felt surreal. 

He woke up in his old room ( Which hadn't changed since Ethiopia. At all. Jason could even see the book he had been reading back then on his bedside table. ) and went down to help Alfred with breakfast. 

(Just because he was here under duress didn't mean he had to let the old butler do all the work. )

Or at least, he would have gone down to help Alfred with breakfast, had his door not been blocked by a wall.

What?

Okay, so maybe his observational powers weren't entirely up to speed after three measly hours of sleep. 

He needed an hour or two to get going, so what ? At least he actually slept. Unlike _some people_ .

The wall began talking and upon further examination, turned out to be Bruce. 

Jason had done some serious growing up, since the last time he was here, but damn if Bruce wasn't still as tall and intimidating-looking as back then sometimes. Particularly in a place filled with memories, like this one. 

“Jason.” 

Jason redirected his attention to the world around him. Ugh. He was not a morning person. 

“What?”

Bruce looked...tired. And not in a “I-haven't slept-in-76-hours-and-am-trying-to-see-if-the-Batman-can-punch-insomnia-induced hallucinations-away-through-sheer-force-of-will” way. He could do that and not let it show in the slightest. 

No, he looked “Just spent five hours waiting for Dick to wake up after taking a bullet for me” tired. 

Which would have been mildly worrying if it weren't for the fact that, had any of the others been hurt, he wouldn’t be here and talking to Jason. 

“Jason.” 

Oops. Zoned out again. 

Jason looked back up, questioning. Bruce sighed in a defeated manner and tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“ Nothing. Come downstairs, breakfast is served. ” 

He was tempted to wait a few minutes to demonstrate that he wasn't taking orders from the other man, but decided against it. He didn't want to make Alfred wait. 

********

Breakfast started out tense. 

There was a strict “No Nightlife-related talks at the breakfast table” Alfred-enforced rule (had been since before Jason became Robin.) so the matter of his imminent death (aka “Tuesday” ) was only to be discussed once everyone was properly fed and awake.

Still. Awkward. 

Both Alfred and Dick were obviously mad at him for not telling him about the kidnappings. 

Damian looked happy enough to take Dick's side, glaring over in Jason's direction over his oatmeal.

Jason was ...erm... _irritated_ with Tim for telling Alfred -and thus the whole family - everything. 

Tim wasn't technically mad at anyone, but was on to his fifth cup of coffee and still dead to the world. Around the third cup, Jason had briefly wondered when Alfred would switch to a decaffeinated option, but it hadn't happened yet. ( Or maybe it had. One could never be sure with Alfred) 

_Really_ awkward. 

Ten minutes of lovely glaring passed by before Alfred cleared his throat -took pity on their souls, more like - and said: 

“Master Bruce, if I may? We still haven't discussed the matter of Master Damian's upcoming birthday.” 

Bruce looked up from his breakfast and turned to Damian, who was looking down at his bowl now. Suspicious. 

“Damian ? What would you like to do for your birthday ? ” 

The Brat still hadn't looked up. 

Why? The Brat had demanded to keep a dragon last week and apparently managed. ( And wasn't that a whole other level of unfair. Jason hadn't even had a dog but the kid got a frigging dragon of all things.) He was not the shy type. 

“No need to trouble yourself, Father. I do not require anything”

Oh. Of course. 

Kid didn't exactly have the best history with birthdays.

“Don’t be silly Dami, of course you require things. It's your birthday! We've got to celebrate.” 

Jason could understand Dick wanting to give the kid the most normal childhood he could, given the circumstances. Really, he could. But the kid clearly didn't want to do anything. And sometimes taking it one step at a time wielded better results than forcing things. 

Jason pasted a mischievous expression on. 

“I could take the kid out for his birthday” There. Distraction planted. Everyone would probably agree it was a terrible idea and Damian would never go with it. 

Bruce suddenly looked a bit hopeful. 

Really? The one time he didn't want to be trusted was the only time Bruce would ? 

Typical. 

Tim looked a lot more alert and alarmed than he had three minutes previously. Probably afraid of an eventual revenge plot. Good. He should. 

“To do what, exactly ? “

Tim also should really go out more during the day, he was looking a bit pale.

Jason smirked. 

“ We could do a lot of fun things. Did you hear about the new axe throwing café ? “ 

Damian suddenly looked a lot more interested. Bruce didn't seem to have a problem with it either. Sweet. Dick looked torn between the “normal childhood” thing and the “little brother actually enjoying himself thing ” 

Tim, however looked a lot less enthused. 

“ That is not fun a fun activity to do with a ten years old." Ignoring Damian's idignant cry of ' I'm twelve', he continued "Do you even know what fun is? ” 

Jason smiled sweetly. 

“Well, I do remember having a blast when I was fifteen.”

Tim groaned and put his head down on the table while Bruce put a hand over his eyes.

Well, back to the glaring they went. 

Joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two ! 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented and kudo'ed, it meant a lot to me!
> 
> I learned about the existence of axe-throwing café this week. They sound awesome. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^ this story is basically pure crack with a dash of angst, I'll admit. 
> 
> I won't be able to post a new chapter everyday, but don't worry, there normally won't be too much time between chapters.


	3. Sure, I've been broken hearted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piggyback ride from hell.

This cohabitation thing was going poorly. 

Jason finished weaving two bedsheets together and tested their strength. 

Passable. Not enough to stand his weight on the three floor climb, but enough to get his bag down safely.

Good. No need to kill his back climbing down with a weapons filled bag when he could do it much more safely this way. 

Not that he wasn’t _thoroughly_ enjoying his stay. 

Oh, it had been fine for the first day or two. 

But see, vigilantes weren't made for sitting nicely on their asses, safe in a mansion while kids were getting snatched from the streets.

And Bruce had been extremely clear about him not being allowed in the field as long as there was someone explicitly gunning for his head. 

Ha. Allowed. 

Jason had tried arguing there more or less always being someone gunning for his head, actually, just like he had with Tim. 

It hadn't helped. At all.

From there, the conversation had taken a turn for the worse. 

Bruce had clammed up, clearly expecting to be obeyed and Jason was just so _tired_ of arguing. 

They still didn't trust him. If they did, he'd be out in the field with them, danger or no danger.

He'd tried. He'd tried so damn hard and it still wasn't enough. 

He had left the room silently, a tight little web of misery taking hold of his chest and slowly expanding towards his throat. 

Fine then. He didn't need anyone's approval. 

 

Which lead to his current situation.

 

The bag was now safely in one of Alfred's rosebushes (a slight miscalculation. It had caught on the thorns when Jason had tried lowering it down ). He started climbing down after it. 

He took time to carefully avoid any camera or window, but it wasn’t long before he was dropping on the wet soil of the Manor's grounds. (Retrieving the bag without doing any more damage to the plant was a hassle, but he managed. Forget about the homicidal maniac gunning for his head, he was so dead when Alfred found out. He left a note on the bush to apologize and say he'd replace it.)

Welp, better hightail it out of here then. 

Not like he'd be missed.

––––––

Without a car or his motorcycle to rely on, going back to Gotham took quite some time. 

Particularly since he also had to be discreet and take some detours to throw off any eventual pursuit. 

There had been one near miss, when, an hour into his trek, he'd heard the Batmobile engine roaring and had had to throw himself down so that he wouldn’t be seen. 

And wow, something bad must have happened because Batman was _gunning it_. 

Shitty puns asides, Jason wondered what the hurry was. A quick search on his phone ( his brand new burner, not one the others could identify or track. Yet.) showed nothing off the norm. Nor did the police scanner he listened to. And he was sure all of the others were still in the manor when he had started his little journey.

Weird. 

He'd have to keep paying attention. The Bat didn't do things needlessly. 

––––––

Jason wasn't stupid. He didn’t plan to go back to his apartment. Even if the one sending all the “messages” wasn't waiting for him there, it was probably the quickest and most direct way back to the manor. 

And there would be no escaping a second time. 

Not happening. He needed to put a stop to the kidnappings.

But. 

His apartment was also his only current lead. Whoever was doing this had broken into it. And all the disappearances had happened in a two block radius. 

Which just meant he had to find the Bat's vantage point over his apartment, then find another, better spot. 

Which would not be easy. Still, relatively feasible. 

“Lemme go! ” Was that a kid's voice ? “I’ll bite you, lemme go!”

A grunt of pain. The sound of flesh meeting flesh. A high-pitched yelp. 

Fuck no. 

Jason took off running and rushed around the corner and into the alleyway. 

There were three men. One, slightly to the side, was rubbing his hand which sported a (bite?) wound of some sort. Another, was looking at something on his phone, clearly uninterested in the proceedings around him. The third...

The third was restraining a tiny bleeding kid, one hand draped his mouth to muffle any sound.

A tiny, eight years old at the most, black haired child. If Jason had to bet, he'd guess the kid had blue eyes.

They didn’t get a chance to turn before Jason was on them. 

His fist rammed into the third guy's temple, making him drop the kid, who immediately scrambled further into the alley, away from the fight. 

Now that he was safe-ish, things could get a bit more serious. 

Jason flicked the safety off one of his guns and proceeded to shoot the hands and feet of the two men closest to him. 

Eight shots, five seconds, two cries of pain. 

Too easy.

There. Incapacitating but not fatal wounds. Good luck trying to hurt a kid like that, asshole. 

He flicked the safety back on and rounded on the third guy, the one that had been on his phone. He used a high kick to get him to drop his gun then, in a few more quick jabs, he was down.

The Red Hood crouched down to the guy's eye level and said, in a very even voice. 

“Well, hello there. Want to tell me who you're working for and where you were planning to take the kid to?”

The guy spit on his helmet.

Sigh. Why did the henchmen never take the easy road? 

Also, seriously gross. See, that was one of the reasons why Jason wore a helmet. 

He tore off a part of the guy's shirt and used it to wipe the saliva away. 

“ Rude. You sure you–”

The guy gurgled out a laugh. Maybe Jason had hit his ribs a tiny bit too hard. The sound wasn't very healthy-like. Or maybe assholes that hurt kids just didn’t laugh very often. Could be either, could be both, really.

“You’re fucking done kid.” 

Jason stared.

“Excuse me ?” 

“Should have taken me out first. Now she'll get you.” 

Okay, she. Who was “She”.

Crap, this guy was on his phone at the beginning of the fight wasn't he? 

So trap, reinforcement, or both ? 

A yell came from further down the alley. 

The kid came barrelling back in, a panicked look on his face. His nose was still bleeding.

“Mr Hood, help!”

Both. Definitely both. 

Jason stood, picked the kid up in a fireman's carry and hightailed it out of there without waiting to see just how many men could get out of those vans. 

–––––––

They were organised. 

Jason grit his teeth, fire racing up his legs as he ran through yet another street and took a sharp turn. 

They were organised and they knew exactly how he'd react. 

More so, they probably had the Bat occupied. No way he wouldn’t at least have checked out what was happening by now. 

He was being herded. He knew it. Couldn’t do a damn thing about it with the kid to protect, though. 

Which probably had been their plan. 

Well, fuck that. 

He took yet another sharp turn and ducked into an alley. 

No eyes on him. Good. Probably not for long, though.

From there, he quickly climbed to the roof and broke a window. Then broke a few other buildings' windows and shot a few ones ( choosing them carefully so that he was sure he wasn’t hurting anyone), before backtracking and slipping through one.

“Oops, sorry ma'am”

The yelling was going to give away their position. Though the few other people who had gotten their window broken were yelling as well, so maybe his plan wasn’t totally shot. Yet.

Jason ran through the apartment, dodged a flying chancla and sped out of the door and into the hallway. If they ever needed a replacement for Damian that lady already had both the aim and the attitude down. 

He heard a breathless giggle and looked down.

The kid's grip around his neck was tight, but a quick glance at his face showed pure and utter delight.

Well, he wasn’t terrified anymore at least ? 

Back on track.

They clearly had studied him. They knew how he fought. They also knew how he'd react and how he thought. Therefore, they knew he always tried to get higher up if he could ( residual Robin training and a general dislike of underground locations.). 

Jason flew down the stairs and ran towards the basement.

He hadn't just gotten in _any_ building. 

No, this particular one had easy access to both the sewers system and a few tunnels that ran under Gotham. He should know, he had lived here back when he first came back. 

He ran through the tunnels, finding his way mostly through instinct and muscle memory, not daring to use a light yet.

He eventually slowed down to a light jog, then a walk. 

When he reached the basement of another building he used to live in (chosen at the time for his proximity to both the police station, so that he could keep an ear on the interactions between Gordon and the Bat, and Gotham's cemetery - Jason was sometimes fond of dramatic ironies), he stopped completely and put his charge down on the ground. 

Phew. He was going to regret that run tomorrow. 

Jason took his helmet off and put it on the ground next to him. Tim could rib him all he wanted about his tendency to wear a mask underneath another mask but it could be damn useful.

Grimacing, he kneeled down next to the kid and took antiseptic wipes from his pockets. Vigilante life tended to leave one prepared. Particularly when you took care of children. ( And Jason still had fond memories of the time he had managed to put a Barbie band aid on Robin's brow, the younger one not realising it was not a plain one for almost the entire duration of the patrol. ) 

He began cleaning the kid's face, trying to ascertain the damage done to his nose. It didn't look broken. 

Wonder filled eyes looked up at him.

“That. Was. Awesome.” 

Oh Jesus Christ, not another vigilante baby in the making. 

“That was _not_ awesome. That was you nearly dying and me getting way more of a workout than I asked for.” 

He was faced with what was probably the best goldfish impression he had ever seen. Should he check for a concussion? 

“What’s your name, kiddo ? ” 

He could swear stars began shining in the kid's eyes. 

Ah, not concussed then. Good. 

“W-William”

“Right. And how old are you, William?” 

Frown. A tiny chest puffed up and he got glared directly into the eyes of the helmet. The kid basically looked like an angry hummingbird.

“I’m eleven.”

“And I'm Lois fu- _frigging_ Lane. I wish. How old are you. ”

The kid deflated. 

“Eight” He mumbled. 

Jason pat him down, searching for other injuries. None that he could feel. And there was a distinct lack of wincing when he got to the ribs area, so thank god for that. 

“See, perfectly good number. No need to lie about it.” 

Satisfied with his injury check, he leaned back and sat on his heels. 

“Now, where do you live, kid ? And should I call someone? ” 

Blue eyes suddenly refused to look directly at him. 

Ah. 

Jason tilted his head to the side. 

“You’re awfully trusting for an homeless kid. How long have you been on the streets? ”

The hummingbird look was back. 

“Long enough! I can take care of myself.” 

Jason shrugged. 

“Ain’t saying you can't, just surprised you let me pat you down, is all.” 

He got an intelligible mumble in response.

“What was that ?” 

The kid wouldn’t look at him again, instead looking in the general direction of the red bat of his body armour.

“You’re the Red Hood. Everybody knows you protect us and wouldn’t _touch_ us. ”

Trusting blue eyes glanced back up at him.

Oh. 

Jason felt the tip of his ears begin to burn so he quickly changed the subject.

Or he would have, had the sound of steps not begun echoing in one of the tunnels leading to the basement. 

How. 

He stood up as quickly as he could and slammed the heavy metal door shut. He then barricaded it with an old desk and a few chairs.

Hopefully enough to give them temporary reprieve. 

They had to be tracking him somehow. 

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_. 

He turned back to the kid, and felt along the sleeves and the hood of his sweater. 

There it was. 

Jason threw the tracker away and patted the kid down once more for good measure. 

Clean. 

Okay. 

He needed a plan. 

He felt a small hand grip the sleeve of his leather jacket and looked down. 

He needed a plan and fast. 

He smiled reassuringly down and cast a glance around the room. 

There. 

Wasn't ideal, but better than nothing.

Bruce was going to kill him.

–––––––

“I don't wanna. It's scary and stupid.”

Jason crouched down and took one of William's hands.

“Look, I don't like cemeteries much either. You're right, they're scary. But you've got to get out of here.”

The kid's lower lip wobbled, before he visibly sucked in a breath to steel himself. 

Jason continued. 

“Okay. Putting aside the cemetery issue, did you understand the plan?”

William nodded. 

He got back up and started moving stones again. They were running out of time. 

“Mr Hood?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you run?”

What. Why was the kid interested in his workout routine? Hadn't the piggyback ride from hell proved that he did?

“What are you talking about ?” 

“When you're scared. Like cemeteries. Do you run?”

Never mind, that made much more sense. He smiled bitterly.

“In those cases ? I run. I run like a bat out of hell.” 

The kid giggled. Jason stared. 

“You have a much better sense of humour than most of my family, kid.” He deadpanned.

“It’s funny ‘cause you're a bat.” William explained, very seriously, like Jason was the stupid one. 

Now, there was no need to be hurtful.

He grabbed the eight years old under the shoulders and helped him climb into the opening. 

“You remember what you have to do, right ? ”

“Uh-hu. ” The kid was nodding, a look of concentration etched on his face. Cute. “ Get out, go through the cemetery.”

“Then...?”

“Then get into the police station and yell for Gordon really really _really_ loud. Then everyone sees me. Then I give that to Gordon to give to ” his voice hushed, and he looked a bit starstruck. Unfair. “ _Batman_. ”

“And?” 

William gave an exasperated sigh. They got sassy so fast. Where were the awe-filled eyes from ten minutes ago?

“ _And_ I don't follow anyone but Gordon and if anyone tries to get me to follow them, I yell and I bite. I _know_.”

Jason ruffled the kid's hair. 

“Good job. Now get out of here.”

William made to turn around then stopped. 

“ Mister Hood ?” 

Jason looked up from where he had started trying the estimate the number of bullets he had left. The answer sadly turned out to be “not a lot”. 

Oh well. Worst came to worst, he could always throw tiny rocks at their head and hope for the best. Right. 

“What?”

The kid was chewing on his left thumbnail. Jason was tempted to yell at him so he'd run. Each minute that passed was a minute closer to being caught. 

“You’ll be okay, right ?” 

“Sure, kid, I'll be fine. ”

William nodded, turned around and disappeared into the small opening. 

Jason turned back to the door.

He had a welcoming committee to prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back ! 
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who commented and kudo'ed this. You're all amazing and I'm glad you like this story ^^ 
> 
> Not a lot of interaction between Jason and the fam in this chapter, but fear not! Jason and Bruce will actually talk to each other in the next one ! Small miracles, I know. 
> 
> (Jason, sweetie. When you want your overprotective dad to let you out of the house you do not answer with "I'm always somebody's bad day away from dying" ) 
> 
> I hope you each had a lovely weekend and will enjoy your week !


	4. Blue, since the day we parted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce uses words. It's super-effective.

The fight hadn't gone _too_ badly. 

Well, his body probably looked like a shitty imitation of Van Gogh's “Starry Night”, he had at least one broken rib ( hadn’t pierced his lungs yet though. Yay. ) and he was _pretty_ sure he'd have to bathe rubbing alcohol to not get an infection from the cut near his ribs. Who knew what was in the grime covering the basement floor. 

He was also sporting a shiny new necklace of bruises. 

But, hey! He had won, and had even ended the fight mostly in one piece. Definitely still standing on his own power. Which was better than a good few number of his fights since he came back, so, you know ... Win? 

Jason Vs henchmen : Jason 37; men 0. 

Too many people trying to hit a lone target in a tiny defensible space that said target had had time to prepare ?

Well, it hadn't been _easy_. But it certainly hadn’t been impossible. 

It had also proved the goons weren’t very well trained nor used to fighting together. 

A smart man using a range weapon from outside the room could have been enough to do him in. 

(Thankfully, Deathstroke and/or Deadshot clearly hadn’t been available at the henchperson recruitment center on the day these goons got hired. )

Instead, a few idiots had rushed in, trying to get to him as quickly as possible. 

It had made it impossible for the ones outside of the room to shoot without risking one of their own. 

Didn't stop most of them from shooting, of course, but it did allow Jason some more cover. 

He began limping towards the stairs leading to up to the ground floor and the building's main entrance. 

The kid had better be alright, or he was coming back here to finish what he had started. He hadn't even permanently injured any of them. 

Something made an awful creaking sound under his left foot. Jason slowly looked down.

Okay, so maybe _that_ particular thug wouldn’t be playing the piano anytime soon. Still. There had been no intentional maiming or paralysing in this fight. 

Climbing the stairs was a nightmare. Each step up jarred his ribs and the wound in his side, though superficial, was still gushing blood. When he made it to the top, he was light-headed and had tiny silvery blobs of light dancing across his vision.

He leaned against the wall for a second, breathing hard. 

Okay. 

While the basement had no reception, the hallway he was now in should be close enough to the building's door to manage a phone call. 

Question was, did he want to ? 

He fiddled with his phone. 

On any other day, the answer would have been a clear and resounding “No”. 

But. 

His ribs were screaming bloody murder at him. Which would have been fine on its own. 

Only, he had a kid to find, a kid that could be anywhere by now, and the first step to finding him was the police station.

Police and the Red Hood didn't usually mix too well.

He could always go undercover, he supposed, if he didn’t feel up to fighting. But it would take some time, time that he didn’t have to spare if whoever was behind this had gotten their hands on William.

The decision was taken right out of his hands when the front door banged open, the imposing shadow of Batman moving swiftly through it, before skidding to a sudden stop when he saw Jason. 

Bruce looked like he had been fighting, armour peppered with scuff marks and dirt. He smelled faintly of sweat. 

He also was breathing hard, skin pale and mouth set in a hard line. 

Jason looked him over quickly. He couldn’t see any blood, but knowing just how stubborn Bruce was, that did not mean he wasn’t injured.

He raised his head back up and looked directly into the white lenses of the cowl. 

“You’re late. ”

Bruce took a step forward, one arm raised. Jason resisted taking an instinctual step backwards. 

Hands found their way to the clasps of his helmet and opened them before throwing it aside. Then the same hands were going through his hair, checking his scalp and skull before methodically going over other areas of his body. It was eerily reminiscent of the way he had checked William for injuries earlier. 

What even.

He had expected to be yelled at for disobeying orders, not whatever the hell this was. 

Jason blinked rapidly a few times. 

The hands stopped when they reached the cut in his side. A muscle jumped in the other man's jaw and Jason could almost hear Bruce’s teeth begging for mercy under the strain.

A quick reach into the Batsuit's utility belt later, and he suddenly had a field bandage stuck to his side. 

He shook himself out of his daze when a penlight was flashed into his eyes. 

Gah. 

He closed his eyes and batted it away. 

“Stop it, I'm _fine_.”

Bruce withdrew slightly and tucked the penlight back in his belt. 

“What. Were. You. _Thinking_.” 

Aaaand there it was. The very controlled, barely managing to get past gritted teeth, “I’m-disappointed-in-you” lecture Jason had been expecting. 

“Oh well em-gee... I wonder. Perhaps I was thinking–” his voice steadily rose in volume as the sentence went on“ –that kids shouldn’t be _dying_ just because you didn’t trust me out on the streets. ” 

Bruce recoiled slightly, visibly taken aback. 

Seeing an opening, Jason pushed forward. 

“Or maybe I was thinking I could do something about it and if you had just _listened_ to me yesterday, we could have used my plan and ended this. ”

Okay, maybe that was reaching a bit, but still. It wasn’t too far off the mark either.

“You think this is about trust. ”

Why, yes, thank _you_ captain obvious. World's Greatest Detective, indeed.

“What else could it be.” Jason snorted bitterly. “You shut my plan down as soon as I mentioned being out in the field with you guys.”

He took a step backwards and crossed his arms over his aching ribs. 

“What, afraid I'll back on my word and suddenly start killing again? Or are you just not up to working with a drug-dealer and former killer in front of the GCPD? ” 

He drew himself back to full height and glanced back up to glare at the cowl. 

“Better be careful there, Batman, I'm starting to feel like the unwanted lovechild of your relationship with Justice.”

Bruce stared at him for a second, standing very still, then slowly enunciated.

“Your plan involved you being used as bait.”

“ The kind you don't want the ladies to know about becau–Wait, what? ” 

Bruce didn't repeat himself. 

“That was the part you objected over ?” 

Jason felt all the fight slowly bleed out of him. 

Oh. 

Well, he felt like an ass, now. 

Bruce walked over to him and draped one of Jason's arm over his shoulder. He then started helping him wobble down the corridor, towards the entrance, carefully taking care to not jostle his ribs too much. 

Jason kept silent for a few seconds. 

Then he tensed suddenly and tried to turn to look at Bruce. Now that all the adrenaline was gone though, he just felt exhausted, rendering the movement difficult.

“Wait! The kid! Did you find the kid ? ” 

He got a single nod in response. 

“He’s currently at the precinct with Robin. He gave us your” a small, disdainful corner of B's mouth turned down “second note.”

He felt cool air wash over his face and blinked again. They were nearly at the Batmobile. When had they exited the building ? Putting one feet in front of the other was getting more and more difficult with each passing step.

“He’s homeless. We gotta –” Jason yawned tremendously even as was lowered down in a seat.“ help him.” 

He felt a few strands of hair being brushed away from his eyes before he heard Bruce's murmured response.

“Sleep. I’ll arrange something.” 

Reassured, he nodded off. 

 

––––––––––– 

 

He woke up what felt both like ten minutes and twelve hours later, to the tinny sound of Dick's voice echoing through the car's speakers. 

His head was pillowed on something bony. 

Weird. 

Jason groaned as his body made its discontent with the previous hours' activities very clear. 

His pillow shifted slightly and a voice cut over Nightwing's tirade. 

“Father. Todd has awoken.” 

No, Todd hadn’t. Todd would instead very much like for everyone to shut up and let him sleep, thank you very much.

He very emphatically did not open his eyes. 

“Jason” 

Nuh-hu. Not today pal. Come back when every single inch of his body he could feel wasn’t screaming in agony. 

“Todd. Do consider opening your eyes or I shall tell Grayson what happened to–” 

Jason's eyes flew open and one of his hands flailed up to smack over Damian's mouth. 

Ooow. That wasn’t good for his ribs.

In the rear-view mirror, he could see Bruce raising a single eyebrow. Fuck. 

He glared at the Brat who was openly smirking under his hand. 

“You know what, I don't even want to know. What the hell were you thinking ?! ” 

Dick sounded pissed. 

“You do not disappear like that. If you want to go out in the field, fine, but you tell us and you certainly don't go off alone in the middle of the night like some stupid –” 

Jason felt the need to defend himself. 

“I did not disappear. I left a note.”

“A note, Jay ? A note ?! We've been worried sick for the last three days because someone _actively wants to kill you_ –”

In the driver's seat, Bruce had the serene look of someone who hated to talk and didn't need to right now, because they had found the perfect way to convey their feelings through a more extroverted person. Dick was still ranting on his comm.

“ –and you decide that it's a perfectly good idea to fuck off to who knows where, on your own. Oh yes, you left us a note, delivered by a beat up kid –because that is soooo reassuring, by the way– you think that's _enough_?! ” 

Jason took in a breath, about to argue some more. 

Dick didn't give him the opportunity to. Over in the front of the car, Bruce looked downright peaceful, by now.

“And even in the parallel reality where it's anywhere near enough, you call _‘Have fucked up, plz send help to ’_ then an address , a _note_ ? ”

He was going to have to pause for breath sometime, then Jason could maybe try to defuse the situation. 

Or apparently not. 

Damned Bat-freediving training. Made it incredibly easy to not need to breathe while yelling at someone.

It was another ten minutes filled with the dulcet tones of Dick's lecture before Batmobile pulled into the Cave and Jason gingerly got out. 

He had not made three steps before he was engulfed into a hug. 

“I am _furious_ with you” Dick hissed, from somewhere in his shoulder. 

Jason tapped on his back like one would tap out of a spar. Dick alleviated the pressure a tiny bit. 

“Really ? I could never have guessed.”

The pressure was back. 

“Don’t right now. ” 

Jason might have been a tiny bit wrong about him not being missed. 

Maybe.

 

–––––––––

 

A few hours later, after a bunch of X-rays revealed that why yes, both ribs number six were broken (though thankfully had not moved ) and ribs one to five were bruised–

(Which was not a surprise to anyone. The ribs weren’t the only things that were bruised. His torso looked like he had applied to be an extra in Avatar. Ribs seven through twelve were doing fine, though, thanks for asking.) 

–and after the cut in his side was stitched shut, Jason, clad in a fresh t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, sat at the Batcomputer. 

Just because his interrogation had been cut short by the arrival of reinforcements didn't mean he had nothing to go on. 

He took out the phone he had swiped from Thug#3, back in the alleyway and gave it to Tim to plug into the computer. 

They had work to do. 

 

–––––––––––

“Master Jason, master Timothy, if the both of you would consider going to bed, now ? You have been working for more than three hours straight. ” 

“Please Alfie, give us a few more minutes. I swear, the last time I dug up this much dirt, I was coming out of my own grave. ”

“Don’t, Jay. ”

“What ? ” 

“Just don't.”

Everyone was a critic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They talked ! Misunderstandings are being cleared up, it's nothing short of a goddamned miracle . 
> 
> (Yes the chapters' title are taken from Mamma Mia. What ? Don't judge me ) 
> 
> Wipe a year of joy: you guys... Thank you again for every review and kudo! 
> 
> (I was not expecting William to be so well-liked O-O I'm glad you liked the tiny ball of sunshine! ) 
> 
> Please tell me what you thought about this chapter ! 
> 
> The next one probably won't be up tomorrow, seeing as uni has decided to kill me, but, once again, shouldn't be too long either ^^ 
> 
> Toodles!


	5. Look at me now, will I ever learn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotionally mature people doing adult things like talking and hugging. 
> 
> Less emotionally mature people doing other adult things like beatings and torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back everyone! 
> 
> I made myself sad with what was supposed to be only a crack story. 
> 
> I blame you. (Who am I kidding, I only have myself to blame. And Batman. His angst his contagious. ) 
> 
> Warning: This is not an happy chapter. It has the usual amount of snark , sure, and fluffy parts, but it is mostly dark and sad. 
> 
> So if you're not okay with that, please take care of yourself first! 
> 
> And if you're okay (well... As much as one can be ) with that... Please tell me what you thought ?
> 
> (Also the trampoline excuse in this chapter ? Really happened to me. It hurt, I had a black eye for more than a week and when I explained what happened to people, they laughed at my face. Wonderful chapter of my life ^^ )

The following afternoon found Tim and Jason sprawled in the living room, sleeping off their late night research spree, when Bruce and Damian barged in. They were arguing about something, loudly enough to wake the dead, never mind two sleeping vigilantes. 

Jason flailed, elbow accidentally catching Tim in the face. Bruce winced in sympathy. 

“This is going to be a pain to explain” Tim sighed, once everyone had calmed down (and Jason had apologised), gingerly prodding at his eye. 

“You could always say you landed wrong on the trampoline and managed to project your knee in your eye.”

“That’s weirdly specific.” 

“Please, it's not like it's the dumbest excuse you or I ever used to explain a black eye. ” Jason evaded.

“What was yours ? ” Tim asked, an interested glint in his eyes.

“Stress.”

“Stress ? ” Bruce blinked.

“Stress-related insomnia. ” Jason nodded. “I was under fear toxin and it was the first thing I could think of. Plus, it explained my attitude at the time. ”

“And they _bought_ that?”

“Uh-uh. I got a few pitying looks and that was that. Stress is relatable. It's often what makes people crack you know. The straw that breaks the camel back and all that.”

“One might call it the final nail in the coffin.” Damian raised an eyebrow, a gleeful glint in his eyes. 

Tim snorted.

He was so proud of the Brat he could actually have cried. 

“Exactly. You could say I crashed and burned ” Jason snickered.

Two identical shit-eating grins turned to stare at Bruce. 

He left the room, Jason's peals of laughter echoing behind him. 

As he passed the doorway, a corner of his mouth turned up. 

Not that Bruce would let them see that. He'd never hear the end of it.

 

––––––––

 

Later that night, in that weird hour between vigilante and civilian life, when it was both too early to put on their suit but too late to do anything else (and Jason had _hated_ that hour when he had been Robin. The wait had been excruciating to his 13 years old self ), he found himself alone in the Cave with Bruce. 

“Hey, B? I.. erm...”

Jason cleared his throat awkwardly. 

Great way to start an important conversation there, Todd. Very smooth. Alfred would be proud. 

Bruce looked up from the Bat computer, a small surprised expression on his face.

Jason felt the tip of his ears burn. He plowed through. 

“About... Yesterday. What I said. ” Come on, just like ripping a Band-Aid. The quicker the better. “ _I'msorry_ ”

There. Painful but necessary. 

Bruce's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. Jason scowled and crossed his arms. 

There was a beat of silence where Bruce just looked dumbfounded. 

Great talk. 

“No, Jay. You were right. ” 

Excuse me, what.

He fumbled with his coffee mug, nearly dropping it. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bruce smiling self-deprecatingly. 

“I should at least have listened to the rest of your plan before shooting it down. Or found a way to make it better. ”

Jason realised his mouth was hanging open and closed it. Bruce sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. 

“ I don't react well when any of you are in serious danger. I'm the one who should apologize. ”

Should he call the League ? Abducted by aliens and replaced by a clone was sadly not such a far-fetched scenario for them.

“I treated you poorly, when you came back. It's come to my attention ”Oh so, Alfred. Okay. That made more sense. “that my attitude may have led you to believe I wasn't happy you'd been back.”

Bruce's gaze found his and held it insistently. 

“I am, Jay. So much. Loosing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me. The thought of going through it again–” Bruce trailed off. 

Jason couldn’t form a response around the tight thing in his throat. Through blurred eyes, he saw his dad tentatively reach forward. 

He didn't flinch away. 

Bruce grabbed his arm and dragged him into a tight hug. A hand began carding through his hair. 

“Of course I'm glad to have you back. You. Not the fifteen years old you were. ” 

“The memorial–”

“The memorial is there to remind me I could still loose everything. ” 

“I’m not your soldier.”

“No, you're not. Treating you like one was what got you ” a swallow “killed in the first place.”

The arms around him tightened. 

Jason's arms slowly came up to return the hug.

They stayed like this a long time, only breaking apart when Damian barged in the Cave, already clad in his Robin costume, half of his menagerie following his every step.

 

––––––––

 

The phone Jason had swiped had been used to make several phone calls. 

A few of those turned out to be local restaurants. (There were even a few that weren't money-laundering fronts for the mob. Henchmen organisations apparently knew how to treat themselves.)

Jason had to congratulate them on their taste in food at least. And try the cannelloni from that one Italian place in Robbinsville if the number of time that particular order was placed was any indication. (The texts were comprised of nothing but food orders. He and Tim had agreed to examine that particular piece of evidence further again at a later time.) 

The remaining calls were either to corrupt politicians or in three separate instances, completely innocuous numbers saved under random names. 

Bingo. 

A thorough examination of the phone's remaining contents did not reveal anything of note. 

Three numbers, three buildings, three teams. 

The first one, consisting of Robin and Nightwing went to investigate the one located in the Fashion District. 

Batman chose the one located in Crime Alley.

Red Hood and Red Robin went to the Coventry. 

The building they arrived to was neither old nor dilapidated, but did _look_ empty.

Jason and Tim split up; the former deciding to explore the first two floors while the latter took the basement. 

He was pretty certain the glare Tim sent him before leaving was affectionate. Not sure what it meant, though.

“It meant 'If you find any trouble, you call me.’, dumbass.” 

Ah, yes, the joys of actually having a working comm. You could get insulted by you family at any hour of the morning. So great. 

“Stop sassing me out loud and get moving, Hood.”

Bossy. 

Though not entirely wrong.

Jason got moving. 

His exploration of the first floor was largely uneventful, if one did not count the numerous encounters with the spider population. 

Whoever ever said saving people was glamourous was lying. Rewarding yes. Glamourous? 

Jason wiped yet another spider-web away from his helmet. 

He felt a sharp pinch in his thigh and looked down. A dart was sticking out of his leg.

Jason cursed and ripped it out. 

A few heartbeats later, his eyes closed without his permission.

 

––––––––

 

Jason woke up tied to a chair, with two tall men staring at him. 

Creepy. 

Ow. His head was killing him. 

He tested his restraints. Secure. Only for the moment of course, he wasn't a bat for nothing, but still. It was a bit of a bummer. 

Jason assessed the situation he was in.

He was missing his helmet, jacket and comm. He didn't _feel_ more injured than previously, but who knew what they had injected him with and its possible consequences. Killer headaches were a pretty common side effect of knockout drugs. 

There was a camera in one corner of the room, blinking red and trained on him.

And the two men still were staring at him. 

All in all, lovely situation, 10/10 , would recommend. 

Not. 

Also, the silence was becoming awkward. 

Jason took it upon himself to start a conversation. 

“Well, look at you two. I didn't know Grodd had started expanding his business to Gotham. ” 

Blank stares. 

Oh, come on! Really? 

His comedic genius was under-appreciated.

A masked figure stepped in the room. She took one look at Jason then turned to one of the two men. She nodded once.

“You know what you have to do. ” 

The goon slipped something over his knuckles and walked towards Jason. 

He gulped.

 

–––––––––

 

What felt like hours later, she dismissed the two men. 

Jason spit out a mouthful of blood, then prodded at the inside of his cheek with his tongue. 

Tim wouldn’t be the only one having to bullshit his way through social interaction tomorrow. 

Though usually, it was more Bruce's thing, if one looked at the friendships the man had miraculously managed to accumulate over the years. 

Jason snickered. 

Ow. Okay, no snickering in his foreseeable future.

She tilted her head to the side. 

“Your running commentary will not save you, you know?” 

“I’m well aware. But letting him hit me in complete silence for that long just felt weird. Gotta give a guy some feedback. It might help him out later.”

“I’m sure” She drawled. 

Jason smiled angelically. 

“Maybe I should do the same ? You and your family were pathetically easy to fool.”

She took off her mask.

“Hello, Jason.” a blonde woman greeted. 

He was _pretty_ sure he had seen her somewhere before. He had no recollection of ever pissing her off enough to make her want to torture and murder him though. Awkward. 

And seriously anti-climatic. He had been expecting it to be someone he’d actually done something to, at least.

“Am I supposed to recognize you? Cause I've got to tell you, this is exactly like that awkward moment when someone vaguely familiar greets you on the bus, but you have no idea who they are. Only a bit more murderous and painful than that.”

She reddened in anger.

“Amelia. From the gala, a few months ago?”

What even was his life. 

“Wait, _you_ were the one behind this? ” Jason asked incredulously.

She smirked. 

“What, couldn't figure it out? World's greatest detective family and none of you found anything weird about the way I was acting ?” She snorted. “ A gold-digger that would drop a catch like Richie Grayson for you ? _Please_. You’re good looking, sweetie, but not that much”

Ouch. His ribs weren't the only thing that needed icing, now.

“Lady, if I had to be suspicious every time one of Dick's fake dates acted crazy, I'd be in Arkham for paranoiac tendencies. ” 

Seriously. Dick needed to think about his life choices more. 

She gripped his hair and pulled, forcing him to raise his head.

“ _Do not talk to me that way_ ” she hissed.

Touchy, touchy. 

Releasing his hair, she continued.

“ You’re an arrogant child. You still think this is about you, don't you? ” 

“Well, seeing as I'm the one that got beat up half to death while tied to a chair, I'm kinda hoping this is about me. Would feel a bit unfair otherwise, you know ? ” 

If he could just buy enough time for the others to get here...

She laughed. 

“It is not about you. Well, not directly, anyways. ” 

Was she seriously going to monologue? Had she seen no superhero movie whatsoever ? 

Well, his ego was getting as beaten up as the rest of him. Nothing like being kidnapped to take someone’s pride down a notch. 

“No, it's about _Him_ , you see. The Bat. He killed my son.” 

There was a beat of awkward silence.

“Surprisingly, I find that difficult to believe” Jason deadpanned. 

“He did!” an hysterical yell. Then in a calmer voice. “He did. He didn’t save my Tommy. He stood there as rubble crushed my son and did _nothing_. ”

The hand holding the gun was trembling and tears were running down her cheeks, wide eyes almost looking through him. 

Jason felt his heart break a little. 

They couldn’t save everyone. He knew that. Being confronted with the aftermath always hurt anyways.

“And I hated him. I hated him for that. But that wasn't the worst thing. No. You know what the worst thing was?” 

He mutely shook his head. 

“The worst thing was, when _you_ died, I pitied Bruce Wayne. I thought 'Oh, poor guy, yet another child Batman couldn’t save.’ I thought I understood.”

She laughed bitterly and whirled back towards him, a finger poking him in the chest. 

“But then one day I saw you. You, _He_ and that damned brat just walking down the street. And I thought. 'This is it. After all these years, I'm finally going crazy.’ Because you looked like Jason Todd. And you sounded like Jason Todd. And _He_ looked at you like the sun was rising with every damned word coming out of your mouth.” she laughed out an hysterical little sound, her voice taking on a shrill tone “ Only, I wasn't. I wasn't going crazy. ” 

Jason stared, eyes wide.

“Agree to disagree? ” 

She struck him with the butt of her gun. Stars streaked across his vision. 

“ Shut _up_! ”

She started pacing the room, a manic look on her face, hair dishevelled and falling out of her bun. There was a dangerous gleam in her eyes. 

“Only it didn't make sense. How? Why you? Could I save Tommy, too ? So I searched. I went to your grave. I began stalking Bruce Wayne. Then the few times I saw you there, I stalked you. ” 

Fuck. How had they missed this ? Who else knew? 

“Then, one night I got saved by the Red Hood. And everything clicked. _He_ hadn't only killed my son, no. He had also killed his. ”

A deep shaky breath. 

“But he had gotten you back. And it wasn’t _fair_. That murderer didn't deserve you. ” 

Jason almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. 

“I needed to be sure. So I went to the gala. And tried to approach you. But then his reaction... His reaction confirmed it. And I decided there and then that I'd make him _pay_.”

She finally stopped talking, body shaking and breathing hard. Jason exploded, absolutely livid with rage. 

“Are you shitting me ?! You murdered kids for that ? What kind of bullshit reason is that?!” 

She recoiled, visibly surprised. 

“What, you think you're the only one who lost someone? You think we don’t regret all the ones we can't save? How is killing more people making it better!? ”

He leaned forward as far as he could in his restraints. 

“Your grand plan was, “My kid died, so I'm sad, so I'll make other innocent people's kids die so they'll be sad too ” !? 

Her eyes hardened. 

“I don't expect you to understand, you've never had a child.” 

“No. That's a shitty reason. There are hundreds of people in Gotham alone who have lost children. You don’t see them becoming serial killers. ” He panted harshly “You could have just killed me directly, or Bruce if you held us responsible. Hell, I _understand_ wanting revenge or killing to protect people just fine. But you _chose_ to involve innocents in this. What? They suddenly were acceptable collateral damage in your pity party? Fuck you. There's no excusing that. ” 

She visibly paled for a second then hardened again and walked towards him.

“I didn't ask for your opinion, boy. ”

Too bad, so sad. Jason glared at her, head held high. 

“I’m gonna make him suffer. And you're going to help, whether you want it or not.”

She grabbed his head again and shoved something in his ear. 

What was she... His comm? 

“And guess what. If your grand plan to save yourself was making me monologue until he came to save you? You're out of luck. Your tracker is buried in a in a box on the other side of the city. He's probably frantically trying to dig you out before you run out of air.” 

Ah. So she _had_ seen at least one superhero movie before. Shit. 

“Oh, and another thing. You have about ten minutes before that bomb underneath your chair explodes. I suggest you use them well.” 

With that, she activated his comm and left the room. 

Screw you, lady. 

Jason paled as the sound of voices began pouring in his ear. 

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_. 

“Oracle. Any lead ?” Batman was breathing hard. There was a rythmic grinding sound in the background. Digging ?

He wasn't doing that to them. He couldn’t do that to them. Not after what Bruce had told him that evening. 

He just had to free his hands, shut his comm off (Just in case ) and get out of the building in under nine minutes. 

No big deal. 

Not like this was painfully familiar or anything. 

“Negative. All of Red Hood's known enemies are accounted for. Red Robin managed to capture one of the men that ambushed him and is interrogating him.”

Oh thank god, Tim was fine.

Jason almost felt sorry for the guy. Tim could be downright vicious. He managed to find all the little cracks in your armour then play them ruthlessly against you like chess pieces. Red Robin didn’tneed to put a single finger on you to make you crack.

A minute or two passed before Oracle's metallised filled his ear once more. 

“B! His comm's back on! ”

Well, so much for _that_ part of the plan. 

“Hood. Status report.” Batman barked.

“ Why hello to you too, sunshine. ” There was an impatient sound on the other end. Jason sighed. “ A bit more banged up than the last time you saw me but still mostly fine.”

The digging sound stopped. 

“Define 'banged up’? ” 

“My ribs definitely won't be thanking me tomorrow, I look like a Great Smurf rip-off and I think my ankle’s broken. Don't think I have a concussion though. ” 

Like it even mattered at this point.

Jason swallowed roughly. He didn’t want to die. Not when things had finally gotten better. 

Bruce's voice shook him back out of his thoughts. It sounded a bit less hoarse than a minute ago. 

“What happened.”

“Remember Dick's date from that disastrous gala a few months ago ? Amelia Li-something? ” 

Bruce said nothing. Barbara hummed.

“Vaguely?” 

“Yeah, me neither. Turns out she hates your guts B. Better keep a close watch on the birds, because she may be coming after them too. ”

Crap. He should have phrased that differently. 

Don't pick up on it, don't pick up on it, don't– 

“How did you get your comm back, Hood?” Batman's voice was tight. 

Goddamnit. Why did Bruce only ever notice the things Jason didn't want him to? 

“What makes you think I lost it in the first place ?” Jason evaded. He didn't expect it to work. They both knew he wouldn’t shut it off completely mid-op. 

“Jason, where are you?” urgency laced the words now. 

He closed his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky.

“Hey, Dad? I'm sorry. For everything. I lo–”

The world around him erupted in white and orange light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't murder me. I still need to write the last chapter. *Tiptoes away discreetly*


	6. And I forget everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's funeral. 
> 
> *Ducks rotten tomatoes and pitchforks * 
> 
> KIDDING! 
> 
> Actual chapter summary : 
> 
> Bruce : angsts 
> 
> Jason: flops around like a fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had two concussions in my life. From the videos my family kept and what I remember, it felt like being both really drunk and hungover at the same time.

Bruce had had this dream before. 

After Ethiopia, it had taken some time for him to realise what had happened. It had taken even more time before he stopped expecting Jason to be there when he turned around. He'd face an empty room, confused for a second, before it would all come crashing down, the room suddenly colder and more menacing-looking than it had been a second ago. 

The nightmares had come later. And every time he'd woken up, he hadn't been sure which one was worse. His nightmares or his reality. 

When Jason first came back, angry and mentally unstable, Bruce hadn't immediately realised it was real. He'd kept a file on the Bat computer, one he could re-check when doubt took over. Surveillance had helped, too. 

Sometimes he still thought it was all a dream. 

Sometimes at night he dreamt Jason hadn’t come back at all. He'd be walking down one of the manor's corridor unable to find him and realisation would hit him that his son was still dead. Then he’d wake up terrified and peruse recent photos to reassure himself. 

In those cases, waking up was a blessing. 

The clinical part of his mind, the one too well-trained to do anything but constantly analyse his environment and draw resulting logical conclusions always seemed to get it quicker than he himself did. Usually, that was fine. He could just let it take over and only allow himself to realise what had happened when he had a moment alone. It was part of what allowed him to be Batman. Compartmentalisation.

Sometimes, though, he didn’t want to listen to that part of him. 

Bruce stared at the billowing smoke in the distance and waited to wake up from this particular nightmare. 

He didn’t.

–––––––––

The first thing he became aware of, once the light settled down, was the suffocating pressure on his back. 

Then the pain washed over him, every single one of his nociceptors activating with a vengeance. 

After that, it was the heat's turn, wave upon wave of boiling hot air and dust entering his lungs. 

Jason opened his eyes. Everything hurt too much to do much more than that.

The world flickered, heat deforming the air around him.

There was a shredded plank next to his head. He stared at it for a second, vaguely fascinated, not quite grasping where he was or what had happened yet. 

What _had_ happened ? 

Jason tried to think back. He could vaguely remember freeing his hands just a beat too late to .... Not talk to Bruce ? 

He frowned, wrinkling his nose. That didn't make sense. How were hands connected to Bruce? 

By his arms. Jason would have giggled if he could. 

Okay, his brain was officially on vacation. Everything was really hazy, too, and surrounded by a halo of light. Pretty. Was the world an angel?

Back on track. Free hands and then what ? Something about sunshine, which was _stupid_ because Gotham was always dramatic and cloudy. Then something about trying to walk on a bad ankle. 

He frowned again. Alfred didn't like it when they were being stubborn and aggara...graveta...aggreva.... Made their injuries worse. Jason didn't want Alfred to be mad. 

Even if walking had seemed pretty important at the time.

Why? 

He remembered walking. Not far. Three rooms? It felt had like a running a marathon. 

Then Bruce again. Nothing about hands this time, though. 

Wait did _Jason_ have hands? 

He flopped like a fish. He did. Good. 

Ow. Explosions sucked. Moving did too.

A rush of adrenaline brought a bit of clarity back to Jason's brain.

Fuck. He had been exploded. And judging by the way his sentences were going and how the world looked, he was cussed. 

That didn't seem like the right word. 

He remembered Bruce. Was Bruce alright or had he been exploded, too ? 

Jason hoped not. He had important things to tell Bruce. 

And he had _questions_. Questions only his dad could know the answers to. 

Did he mean what he said? Was he alright ? Did he know why blonde women Jason had barely met always tried to kill him? 

Sound came rushing back all at once, overwhelming and all but unintelligible to his tired brain. 

He could hear a noise, past the roaring in his ears, like something a dying animal would make. It pierced through his left ear and drilled into his skull. It barely sounded human. 

He realised it was his name. 

Reiterating: Ow. Explosions really sucked. They blew. 

The weird noise came back. 

He blinked his eyes open again. Something told him he should probably move, or make a sound, or do something actually constrictive. Wait, no. 

That wasn’t right either. 

Everything really hurt, words were awful and Jason kinda wanted to cry. He tried and found out he couldn’t. His eyes were really, really dry.

He looked at the shredded plank again and felt a certain kinship for it. It looked sad and dry, too. 

The dying sound had stopped and been replaced by grunts and clangs. 

What was his ear doing?

Wait no he had his comm in it, didn't he?

That made more sense. 

His name rang out again. Jason decided to be productive. He tried to roll over. 

It didn’t work. 

Screw you too, body. 

Maybe if he called, Bruce ? That seemed like a good idea. Maybe his dad could help things get better again. 

“Br’ce? Words are mean. ” He slurred. 

The noises in his left ear stopped for a second. Then there was a painful sounding breath -Jason could relate. He'd had to cough at least ten times before speaking. Coughing with broken ribs hurt.

“Jay?” Bruce's voice was very small. Jason's brows furrowed again. Bruce was not supposed to be small. He was too much muscles. 

He informed the other man of that. 

There was a shaky sob-laugh-thing. Barbara? Why was Barbara crying? She was not supposed to cry, ever. Did he need to kick Dick's ass again? He hoped not. He was too tired to do that now. 

He told them that too, only to get yelled at. Rude. Being tired wasn’t a crime.

Not everyone was fine with, like, three hours of sleep a day. Didn't mean he was a bad vigilante. 

Well, at least Bruce was coming to help Jason roll over now. He had said so. Multiple times. Between yelling at him about not sleeping and asking too many questions. Which felt unfair. Why was there so much yelling. He hadn't even moved. He didn’t deserved to be yelled at.

He was tired of staring at the plank. It made him think too much. He closed his eyes again so he wouldn't see it.

It was a very boring and painful ten minutes before the sounds could be heard by both his left and his right ears. 

Did he have another comm he didn’t know about ? 

The pressure on his back disappeared. Jason groaned in relief. Then in pain. 

But it was alright. Bruce was here. He would fix things. Even if he usually fixed things in an ass way.

Bruce did not want to help him roll over, though. Something about his spine and not moving it. Traitor. He didn't really want to move, anyways. He just wanted to not be still. 

Saying that didn't convince his dad either. He probably just didn't get the dissension. No. Distinction. 

Ha. Take that, word. 

There were hands carding through his hair and down his neck, which felt pretty nice. Good distraction from the killer headache. 

Jason closed his eyes and finally allowed himself to pass out. 

––––––––

When he woke up again, it was to lights stabbing his right eye, then his left. 

Hadn’t he suffered enough? Did they have to torture him more?

He glared at whoever was doing the medical check. 

There was a chuckle. 

Nurses were sadists. Very competent and amazing people, but sadists all the same. 

“Mr Pennyworth ? ” 

Alfie ? No. There was nobody else know the room. Probably the alias they had checked him under at the hospital. 

Jason slit his eyes open again in the direction the sound had come from. 

“Now, let's see if you're back with us. You've been intubated and won't be able to talk. Don't panic, that's normal and temporary. I'm going to ask you a few questions. You can nod your answers, alright ? ”

Jason nodded. The questions were simple: Did he know his name? ( he did). Did he know where he was? (More or less). Did he know which day it was? (“How am I supposed to know, lady, I've been unconscious.” Did not translate well over nod). Did he have any siblings?

Jason would have snorted at that one, had the tube allowed it. Luckily, they didn't ask how many he had. He just hoped Bruce hadn't adopted yet another one while he was unconscious.

“Good. Now follow my finger with your eyes, if you please. ”

He did.

“Could you grip my hand, Mr Pennyworth ? ” 

He did that, too. 

“Good. Now the other one ? ”

The tests continued for a few long minutes. 

By the time the nurse left the room, Jason was dizzy and just wanted to sleep again. 

He could hear shards of conversation just outside the room. Words like “Glasgow score ”, “Sulfatan” and “Heparin”, and “FIO2 and PEEP low enough to extubate” were thrown around.

He went back to sleep. Someone else could worry about all that.

––––––––

The third time he woke up, he was in another room, the tube was gone and Bruce was sleeping on his hand. 

A future case of pin and needles to look forward to. So great. He really needed that, on top of everything else.

God, but he felt like shit. 

Still, alive topped dead. And it probably hadn't been too long. He could still move his arms and legs, even if it left him exhausted. He even still had muscle tone. Yay for him.

He glanced around. They apparently were having a sleepover in his hospital room. Wonderful. 

Also, Dick's hair was a rather traumatising shade of blond. 

Which, no. 

Of course, it was probably just a matter of secret identities, but still. That was downright painful to watch. 

He'd look like an ABBA reject if he put the Discowing suit on. 

Jason kind of desperately wanted a picture. But he also didn't want to wake everyone.

Oh well. It was for a good cause. They could always sleep more later. 

He reached for the phone on the nightstand.

Bruce woke up with a start when Jason's hand slipped from his. He took his surroundings in quickly and efficiently before his gaze focused on the bed's main occupant. (And it was supposed to be _his_ bed, damnit, not Sibling Central ) 

“Jay” He breathed. 

Then there were arms around him, holding him tight. His ribs protested loudly, making him flail. 

The sudden movement woke the others up, but Bruce didn't let go nor seem to care the slightest. He did alleviate the pressure a bit, though.

Jason hugged him back. 

The minutes that followed were a complete mess of hugs, tears and insults. 

It was the happiest he'd been in a long time.

–––––––  
 _Later that night:_

“She lied to me. ” he realised, looking at Bruce. “ When she had me. Before the explosion. She told me you were on the other side of the city. But you got there in under twenty minutes. ” 

“She did. I was–” a choking sound “ close enough to see the smoke. ” 

“Oh.” Jason gulped. “ Did you...Talia always said... She always told me you didn’t care. Back _then_. Did you. Did you react the same way ? ”

Smooth. Real smooth. Dig up painful memories, why don't you.

“I did. The Joker barred you from seeing it. ”

Jason did a double take. 

Bruce looked vaguely horrified with himself. 

“Did you just–?”

“No.”

Gleefully. “You totally did.”

“ _No._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, folks ! 
> 
> I hope you liked the last chapter. 
> 
> An enormous THANK YOU to everyone who commented and kudo'ed! I love you guys, you're amazing! 
> 
> See you soon :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed ! Tell me what you thought!
> 
>  
> 
> I almost wrote "and one time he was the dead joke " in the summary, but honestly I love that character too much to burn him like that . Plus, spoilers you know...
> 
> You can come yell with me about the Batfam on Tumblr : aaren07.tumblr.com


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